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Little Charlie’s fight resonates in Ontario

Have you heard about 11-month-old Charlie Gard who the U.K. government wants to force off life support? He has a rare disease, mitochondrial.

Never mind that London's Great Ormond Hospital was handed a petition with 350,000 signatures in support of Charlie; never mind that the government-appointed "guardian" is a euthanasia activist; never mind that Charlie's loving parents have raised $1.5 million to transfer him for treatment elsewhere.

Even the English and European courts have ruled that parents Chris Gard and Connie Yates do not have the right to take their son out of the hospital.

Charlie's case sounds similar to Hamilton father, Steve Tourloukis, and his seven-year battle with the Hamilton-Wentworth Public School Board. Like Charlie's parents, the Ontario government ruled "you cannot remove your children from LGBT classes." It was June 2016 when Judge Robert Reid basically said, "Yes, the board violated your Charter rights," too bad.

In June 2017, Tourloukis fought for his parental rights in the Ontario Appeals Court, this time before a three-judge panel, six publicly-funded lawyers, and his lawyer.

“Not a good comparison, Anne. Charlie's case is medical and Tourloukis' involves education.”

Now put Hoskins' announcement together with Bill 89, which further eroded parental rights, and "in the best interests of the child," added a list of protected grounds of discrimination from the Ontario Human Rights Code applying it to family life, and Charlie's case is child's play.